Here's how you can overcome resume failures in a job interview.

Don't panic over gaps in your employment history. Instead, provide a clear and positive explanation for your time away. Whether pursuing further education, handling personal matters, or exploring other interests, frame these periods as growth opportunities. Highlight how these experiences have equipped you with unique skills or perspectives relevant to the job. Employers value honesty and the ability to transform challenges into learning opportunities.

There is a misconception that a resume is a career autobiography that requires the details of every position held. The resume is a proof point that qualifies you for the position you are applying for. Huge tenure gaps in your resume will be a problem unless there is an explanation in the summary section of your resume summary or, worse case, an attached cover letter.

Many candidates are afraid of gaps, unsure how to explain them or even lie on employment dates to cover them up. But instead of focussing on the negative reasons for the gap look towards the positives. How did you use this time to overcome adversity, did you fulfill a lifelong dream, have you taken a sabbatical to care for someone or bring up a family? You see ‘the gaps in your resume are actually the interesting bits’ they can explain more about your character than any steady career path can, so be bold when explaining it, make them sound intentional, use it to your advantage! Own your career journey, it’s unique and still evolving 👍

When addressing resume failures in a job interview, it's important to be honest and proactive in your approach. Firstly, take the opportunity to acknowledge any shortcomings on your resume, and then focus on the actions you've taken to address and improve upon them. Highlight any additional skills you've acquired, courses you've taken, or experiences you've gained since the time of the resume's submission. Emphasize your willingness to learn and grow, and demonstrate how you've turned those setbacks into opportunities for personal and professional development. By showcasing your resilience and proactive attitude, you can turn resume failures into a positive talking point during the job interview.

In my experience, 'gaps' in a resume or CV are often for childcare or other caring responsibilities. They are not negative. And, circumstances may have changed so that you are now available again. Lucky employer! So, just confidently state your suitability for the role and don't be put off by the fact that your experience might be from a year or two ago. You have probably become more suitable for the role, not less.

You can turn any negative into a positive by highlighting the benefits and skills you've gained from each situation. Here are some examples: 1. If they see you have gaps in employment you can talk about how you took time off to work on your personal and professional development. 2. If you've changed jobs a lot, you can tell them how it made you more adaptable and able to quickly contribute to new teams and projects. 3. If you don't have direct experience, you can talk about your transferable skills and achievements.

When facing parts of your resume that might appear negative, like a brief tenure at a job or missing experience, it's important to turn these into positives. Emphasize the skills and insights you gained from these situations and explain how they equip you for the job you want. Focus on showcasing your transferable skills and adaptability, proving that you can excel in various settings and are keen to learn and progress.

Place greater weight on skills and experience for more recent roles. As your resume expands reduce the text under each of your previous employers, this will naturally add depth but also emphasis towards more current roles. This technique is a nice way that resume writers highlight career growth. Best of all it works at a psychological level emitting positivity without an employer even reading a word because your resume just naturally looks right.

Even if your resume doesn’t show a steady career climb, highlight your personal and professional growth. Talk about the challenges you’ve faced and the skills you’ve developed. Explain how these experiences have made you a stronger candidate and how they align with the job you’re pursuing. Employers value resilience and a commitment to improving oneself.

If you don't have concrete examples of how you achieved things in the past, employers are not going to believe you can deliver. Prepare specific examples of times you went above and beyond the job description to wow interviewers.

If you're not enthusiastic about the role you're interviewing, you shouldn't even interview. Make sure you're feeling joyful about the opportunity before meeting in person with the hiring manager - they'll sense it.

YES! Ask questions and be curious about the role, company, and your future team. Do some research before and prepare some thoughtful questions that show genuine interest.

When comprising your cv try to consider how the employer will read your cv. I recommend you start with a strong relevant bio outlining your industry experience, try to highlight your wins and try to avoid the narrative of e.g (great under pressure also good communicator) You will be able to explain your work ethic in your career history. Next outline your education, if you have a high grade the time is right to highlight this here, underline this with any relevant certificates that compliments your industry. Next we move on to skills summary try and include as much technical skills here e.g Adobe Creative Suite, PM Tech, Social Media Tech. Next your career history be expansive and keep your cv to 2 pages if you are able. Good Luck

Remember, being invited to the interview stage means your resume has already passed the test. In other words, nothing on your resume disqualifies you from being considered for the role. However, the interview is your chance to demonstrate confidence, persuasion, and strong communication skills. This is where you can reassure the recruiter or hiring manager about any aspects of your background that might seem less than ideal. Prepare a true story about the choices you made and the lessons you've learned. Owning your career journey, even if it's not perfect, will present you as a strong candidate who takes accountability for their career choices.